Zen announced as the only Which? Recommended Provider for Broadband 2023

Maintaining its position as major industry player, Rochdale-based internet service provider Zen Internet has been announced as the only Which? Recommended Provider for Broadband in 2023, for a third consecutive year.

The coveted consumer champion status saw Zen score 81% overall, 16% ahead of the next nearest provider, with the big four lagging behind in the independent annual broadband survey of the UK’s internet service providers.

The survey asks thousands of broadband customers across the UK exactly what they think of their provider revealing that many top providers still don't deliver on the essentials required for a reliable and strong internet connection.

A multi-time Which? recommended provider, Zen has topped the table for eight years. It is the only provider to score four stars in all seven categories - connection speed, connection reliability, customer service, value for money, technical support, ease/speed of contact and ease of set up.

“We are extremely proud of our continued status as the only Which? Recommended Provider for Broadband,” said Richard Tang, Zen Internet's founder and chairman.

“The survey reflects the best services available and stands on the side of consumers, so represents everything we strive to achieve at Zen. We want to ensure we continue to provide an industry leading service and support our customers when they need it most.”

Tang continued: “It is especially rewarding to be recognised in the midst of looming price hikes. Unfortunately, the broadband industry has a poor reputation for managing customer expectations and being transparent with communications, especially when introducing price rises mid-contract at a time when everyone is struggling with household bills.

“At Zen, our response is the Contract Price Promise – a promise not to increase prices during the contract period.

“Even in today’s climate with the continuing cost of living crisis, consumers should not be afraid to search for the best provider – one that cares about its customers and people and delivers a great and reliable service.”

Which? wrote: “Once again, Zen Internet cruised into the top spot in our table, easily beating its nearest rival, Hyperoptic.

“Zen received strong scores across the board and was the only provider to receive four stars for its customer service and technical support. It scored highly for the quality of its connections, too: over a third of customers gave it the highest rating possible for speed.

“And it’s notable that around nine in 10 Zen Internet customers rated it good value for money despite the provider not o­ffering tari­ffs as cheaply priced as the likes of Now Broadband and Vodafone.

“Around nine in 10 Zen customers also said they would recommend it to others. As well as having the most satisfied customers overall, Zen has committed to Ofcom’s code of practice and automatic compensation schemes, plus it doesn’t bake price rises into its contracts, so we’re happy to name it as a Which? Recommended Provider.”

The news comes as a recent survey of 2,000 consumers from Zen revealed nearly half (48%) of UK adults are concerned about price hikes due to the cost-of-living crisis.

Over a third (34%) were unsure if they could experience a mid-contract price rise in their broadband contract, yet the truth is most providers will be adding the UK Consumer Price Index (CPI) of 10.1% plus an additional margin to their customer’s monthly bills this spring,

Zen works with both Openreach and CityFibre to provide full fibre broadband to thousands of homes and businesses across the UK.